Did Coldplay Sing About the Future Red Sox?

Back in 2005 when Coldplay came out with "Fix You," who knew the opening lines of the song were telling the future of the 2014 Red Sox?

When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse

When the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?

The first half is pretty self-explanatory, except maybe the second line. Allow me to explain it. What the Red Sox wanted ("When you get what you want but not what you need") is most surely about Stephen Drew. The Red Sox shortstop never plays against lefties (which is probably for the better), and has 11 hits in 78 at bats...

... no I'm serious. Eleven hits in seventy-eight at bats. 

Not only did the signing of Drew give the team another player who can't hit his way out of a paper bag and not only did it move the future of the franchise to a different position, but it cost them $10 million. Oh and that "future of the franchise," Xander Bogaerts, hit .296 this season while playing shortstop. As a third baseman, where Drew moved him to, he's hitting .139. No, that is not a typo. 

So they got what they wanted. They wanted the legendary Stephen Drew. What did they need, though? An outfield. Of course, that is not news to anyone. Wow Pete, the Red Sox need an outfield? Good call. Real original argument. Take what everyone is saying about the Red Sox and just tie it to some Coldplay lyrics. 

Shut it. While yes, it is obvious the Red Sox need a better outfield, it is still fair to question what Ben Cherington was thinking. The platoon in left worked almost too perfectly last season as did the health of Shane Victorino. However, when your team's salary for the 2014 season is $154,512,396... can't you afford an everyday, solid left fielder? How has the platoon worked this season? 

Victorino holds a spot in the heart of every Red Sox fan (as does Nava and Gomes) after last post-season's heroics. He's always been a solid player, a smile in the dugout, and a hard-nosed fielder. Even with how well he performed last season, didn't the Red Sox need some kind of insurance plan? The Sox right fielder missed time last season and is 33-years old with lots of wear and tear on his small frame. OK, so maybe there was no need to go out and trade away the farm system for Michael Cuddyer or Domonic Brown but wouldn't some insurance be nice? The only "back up" (who actually landed the starting gig) the Sox signed for the outfield was Grady Sizemore and everyone knows about the risks that he came with. So the outfield was really three platoon players (if you include Carp), a rookie, a guy who hadn't played in years, and a fragile right fielder on the decline. Well thank the baseball gods that Betts and Holt moved to the outfield.

What hurts the most about it for Sox fans is that Nelson Cruz, who is going to be starting in the All Star Game and leads the MLB with 27 homers and 71 RBI, signed for one year at $8 million. Yeah, the guy that just annihilated the Sox over the weekend. No one knew the PED using 34-year old with bad hamstrings was going to tear it up this insanely but how were the Sox not in on him with such a slim outfield?  Even Curtis Granderson, who recently hit .300 in June with 5 home runs, signed with the New York Mets for four years, $60 million. While that is a lot of money to give a 33-year old, wouldn't he have been worth a shot for a team coming off a World Series title with no highly rated outfield prospects? (Just so you know, Mookie Betts was a second baseman until this season). 

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When you lose something you can't replace. You guessed it, this line is about Jacoby Ellsbury. Should the Red Sox have signed Ellsbury for the seven-year, $153 million contract it cost the Yankees? Maybe not. Is he replaceable, though? Definitely not. You can't just replace what Ellsbury brought to the table with a single player. That would be unfair to Jackie Bradley Jr. and Grady Sizemore. Neither Cruz nor Granderson would have replaced Ellsbury, either. He simply did too much for the team. The problem is, however, the Red Sox did not do enough in trying to make up for the loss.

Who did the Red Sox love but let go to waste? Certainly not Ellsbury, as he helped bring two titles to Boston. I would hardly call that a waste. This line could be interpreted in many different ways. I take it as a possible prediction on Sox closer Koji Uehara. All of Boston loves Koji. High Five City has lit up opposing teams and recorded 39 saves since given the closers role last season. The problem is that Koji is a free agent at the end of the season. At 39 years old (he will be 40 after the first week of next season), he may choose to retire. If in fact the Red Sox are out of contention this season, trading Koji is a must. There are plenty of playoff contenders (Tigers, Giants, Angels, etc.) who have had serious bullpen issues this year. Koji is a bonafide, shutdown closer who some teams may pay a king's ransom for. The Red Sox need to take advantage of this if they do not catch fire these next few weeks before the trade deadline. Otherwise, he could end up as someone they loved but let go to waste. Thanks, Coldplay. 

http://sportsblogs.star-telegram.com/.a/6a00e54f7fc4c58833019affe18853970c-pi

 And finally there's the question we've been asking just about all season: "Could it be worse?" In short, yes, it could be way worse. It's tough to think it could be worse after getting swept at home by the lowly Cubs but even through all the losses and frustrations this season, the Red Sox have a loaded farm system, a lot of money to spend, and hey - they might still be in this thing. I'm of course keeping the faith. But even I'll admit, it's been tough to.